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Isger
Isger (pronounced IZ-guhr) is a vassal state buffeted by the needs and whims of the nations surrounding it. It is not so much a sovereign nation as a glorified trade route which is exploited by those who control Isger's ruler. As a result, the people suffer under the rule of a steward who is more interested in the welfare of his master's coffers than his own people. Government Isger is officially ruled by steward Hedvend VI but it is a well known secret that his rule is little more than a sham propagated by the ruler of Cheliax's House Thrune. Without the support of House Thrune, Hedvend's rule would soon collapse or more likely Cheliax would replace him. Hedvend is regularly summoned to Egorian, Cheliax's capital, like a summoned hound to his masters heel. Isger is so reliant on Cheliax that it even lacks a proper standing army. What now passes for army is the tattered remains of Isgeri forces from the Goblinblood Wars. This army is too small to effectively protect Isger and instead they only patrol the main trade routes the Cornerica Straits, the rest of Isger has been abandoned to whatever fate awaits it. In an attempt to try and curb the rampant crime and banditry which grips much of the country the steward has issued bounties on most of the brigand leaders. The idea is to lure desperate warriors in to do the steward's dirty work. History Isger has been a thrall as long as it has existed. It was founded in 2133 AR by Taldor's Seventh Army of Exploration and was named Isger after the tribes that originally inhabited the area. The Isgeri were the original inhabitants of modern Isger and put up a tenacious fight against the seventh army. They were defeated and pacified by the Taldans and the land they inhabited became Isger. Isger remained a vessel state of Taldor for nearly two thousand years until the Even-Tongued Conquest. In 4081 AR during the even-tongued conquests Isger was forcefully taken from Taldor by the rising empire of Cheliax. Isger has remained a vassal state of Cheliax ever since. Even when several other vassal states including Andoran and Galt rebelled against Cheliax, Isger remained firmly within Cheliax's grasp. Even with the rise of diabolism and House Thrune Isger has remained loyal. In more recent history, Isger has suffered terribly during the Goblinblood Wars. The Goblinblood Wars began in Isger when hundreds of tribes of goblins emerged from the Chitterwood in southern Isger. They murdered their way through the quiet countryside of Isger until reaching the larger towns. They were eventually stopped by an alliance of military forces from other nations as Isger proved unable to contain the horde, these forces consisted of: the Eagle Knights of Andoran, the Hellknights of Cheliax and the Mercenary League of Druma. Geography One of the most important features of Isger's geography, arguably the feature that has had the most influence on Isger's history and its future, is the countries surrounding it. Isger lies between two of the most powerful economies of Avistan, the merchant kalistocracy of Druma to the north and Cheliax to the south. Isger also controls the only gap between the Five Kings Mountains and the Menador Mountains. Isger's location means that it has one of the most profitable trade routes in Avistan running through the centre of it, the Conerica Straits. It is thought that more gold runs through this area than anywhere else in Avistan. Isger's position sits atop the primary trade route between the lucrative markets of Lake Encarthan to the north and the vast trade flowing through up from the south and the Inner Sea; the trade route defines the country as much as its borders. Despite most visitors' focus on the Conerica Straits, Isger boasts several other impressive geographical features. Within it borders are part of three separate mountain ranges: the Five Kings Mountains, the Menador Mountains, and the Aspodell Mountains. The Chitterwood is another feature of Isger that is rarely overlooked; it was from here that the goblins that gave their name to the Goblinblood Wars first emerged to wreak havoc and devastation. Settlements * Elidir * Logas * Umok Inhabitants The people of Isger are still suffering from the devastation of the Goblinblood Wars. The wars left thousand of orphans in its wake and a nation still facing dire threats from within its own borders. While the precious trade routes of the Conerica Straits are well protected by Isger's army, people living in the smaller rural villages are almost completely unprotected and live in fear of banditry or worse. Even the residents of the larger towns are not immune to this fear. The people of Logas nestled on the edge of the Chitterwood live in constant fear of another goblin uprising. Logas is surrounded by impaled goblins as a warning to those still living in the Chitterwood. References Category:Nations Category:Nations of Avistan Category:Lawful neutral nations